Swedish battery maker Northvolt claims a technological breakthrough by developing a low-cost sodium-ion battery that no longer depends on scarce materials like lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite. Utilizing abundant minerals like iron and sodium found locally offers an environmentally friendly alternative to lithium-ion.

The first generation of this new battery has a density of up to 160 Wh/kg. That’s still far from the 260 to nearly 300 Wh/kg densities of today’s EV batteries. Still, it is a promising technology for future generations and is applicable today for sustainable energy storage systems.

Safer and cost-effective

The new sodium-ion battery developed at Northvolt Labs in Västerås, Sweden, together with research partner Altris, is claimed to be safer (less heat-prone), cost-effective, and more sustainable than conventional nickel, manganese, and cobalt (NMC) or iron phosphate (LFP) chemistries. It is produced with minerals, such as iron and sodium that are abundant in global markets.

The anode is made from hard carbon, and the cathode is based on Prussian White, a material derived from the Prussian Blue pigment, which is formed primarily of sodium, iron, carbon, and nitrogen.

Grid backup systems

At this stage, sodium-ion batteries are particularly suited for sizeable static storage solutions where space is not at a premium, such as backup systems for grids. But co-founder and CEO Peter Carlsson sees opportunities to scale up the technology with higher densities to make it suitable for electric cars in the future, too.

“The world has put high hopes on sodium-ion, and I’m very pleased to say that we’ve developed a technology that will enable its widespread deployment to accelerate the energy transition,” Carlsson said. “Battery technology like this is also crucial to reach global sustainability goals by making electrification more cost-efficient, sustainable, and accessible worldwide.”

“Northvolt’s first generation of sodium-ion cells is designed primarily for energy storage. The potential of sodium-ion in this market alone will tremendously impact the drive toward global electrification. But subsequent generations delivering higher energy density will also open opportunities to enable cost-efficient electric mobility solutions.”

BMW, Volvo, and Volkswagen

The Swedish battery maker is the brainchild of Peter Carlsson, formerly one of Elon Musk’s coworkers, serving five years as his purchase director at Tesla. Carlsson returned to his homeland, Sweden, to create Northvolt. He did that together with Paolo Cerruti, among others. Cerruti, Northvolt’s Chief Operating Officer, is another former Tesla (and Renault-Nissan) executive.

The company has received $55 billion in orders from key customers, including BMW, Fluence, Scania, Volvo Cars, and Volkswagen Group. Northvolt is delivering batteries from its first gigafactory, Northvolt Ett, in Skellefteå, Sweden, the first of three to be built in several countries.